Community Outreach’s Dialogue Initiatives will be hosting a deliberative forum focusing on the opioid epidemic. The purpose of a deliberative forum is to: focus on the options, consider all options fairly, and maintain an open and respectful atmosphere. We hope to encourage participation from students who aren’t too familiar on the opioid epidemic to those who consider themselves well-versed on the topic. We want this to be an experience where we can listen and learn from each other. The event is paricipant-focused and there will be facilitator-led small group discussions.
Taken from the National Issues Forum (https://www.nifi.org/en/issue-guide/opioid-epidemic):
“Drug abuse, a problem the United States has faced for decades, has taken a sharply more lethal turn with the rise of opioids—both legal pain-killers, such as oxycodone and fentanyl, and illegal ones like heroin. More than 64,000 Americans were killed by drug overdoses in 2016, according to the Centers for Disease Control. At least two-thirds of those 2016 drug deaths were caused by opioids”.
We will present three options for deliberation. The options are: Focus on Treatment for All, Focus on Enforcement, and Focus on Individual Choice. Each option has its advantages as well as drawbacks.
During this forum, we will also discuss the implications of the opioid epidemic on the state of Connecticut. Recently, Governor Dannel P. Malloy announced that the State of Connecticut is receiving over $20 million in federal funding to enhance the state’s efforts in fighting the opioid epidemic. We will also juxtapose the sympathy and action given to the opioid epidemic with other epidemics (such as cocaine or marijuana).
When: October 15th, 2018
Time: 5:00 -7:00 pm
Location: Rowe 122
Food WILL BE provided.
If you have any questions or if you’d like to be more involved with this event (i.e. a facilitator), please email Hayley Rowe at uconn.co.dialogues@gmail.com.
For more information, contact: Hayley Rowe at uconn.co.dialogues@gmail.com